2017 Dodgers review: Grant Dayton

Grant Dayton was a great find for the Dodgers who debuted in 2016, but 2017 was a rough year for the left-hander that ended with surgery and a move to a different organization.

What went right

Dayton made his first opening day roster in 2017, and the southpaw posted a 2.25 ERA in April and a 1.74 ERA in June.

Dayton stranded 10 of his 11 inherited runners.

Left-handed batters hit just .171/.271/.341 (7-for-41) against Dayton in 2017.

What went wrong

Dayton was slowed by injuries for most of the season, and his performance suffered. His strikeout rate was cut in half compared to 2016, and his walk rate doubled, a deadly combination. Opposing batters slugged .442 against him.

He spent three different stints on the disabled list in 2017, once for an intercostal strain and twice for neck stifness. His last game pitched for the Dodgers was July 24.

Dayton tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow while warming up before a rehab assignment for Double-A Tulsa, and had Tommy John surgery on Aug. 29. He is expected to miss most if not all of the 2018 season. It was an outcome that didn’t surprise him.

“I was told that the UCL was in pretty bad shape, but that’s all I really knew,” Dayton said. “But if it’s in bad shape and doesn’t present any pain, then who cares? I tried to throw through it this year, and I never felt any pain this year until that last pitch.

“I knew it was in bad shape but there was no telling how long it had been that way, and quite frankly it wasn’t given me problems so it didn’t matter.”

2017 particulars

Age: 29

Stats: 4.94 ERA, 5.74 FIP in 29 games, 20 K, 12 BB in 23⅔ IP

Salary: $540,000

Game of the year

Dayton struck out all three batters he faced in the 10th inning against the Brewers on June 2, keeping the score tied in a game in which the Dodgers eventually prevailed in Milwaukee.

Roster status

Dayton was claimed off waivers by the Braves on Nov. 20.